Chapter 5 Spring does not come

That night, Ann thrashed between the rough hands that treated her like a toy. Her cries were stifled, her body burning with pain and humiliation. She chose to close her eyes tightly, hoping it would all end soon. One minute felt like a century until the thick darkness finally overtook her consciousness.

A faint voice began to slip into her blurry dream.

"She knows her grandmother passed away."

The deep voice was clear, like a sharp whisper in her ear. Her damp eyelids fluttered, her breath quickening even as her body felt limp.

"I'll lock her up if she tries to escape."

Ba-dum. Ann's heart thudded loudly, fast and slow, as if it wanted to break through her left ribcage. She slowly opened her eyes, just a little, enough to catch a glimpse of Jake standing not far from her, speaking to someone on the phone. Her battered and weak body curled under a thick red blanket, her trembling hands clutching the edge of the fabric as if it were her only protection.

"Sherry... This is all for you!"

That name stopped Ann's breath for a moment. Sherry. Her older sister. Though they had never met, Ann knew the name well-the only person their late father had often spoken about, someone who had been lost from their lives for so long.

Her half-closed eyes widened. Her brain spun with possibilities. What was Jake's connection to Sherry? How did he know that name? Why was someone who had been gone for so long suddenly mentioned in this conversation?

"I'll be there soon," Jake ended the call with a satisfied tone, then turned. His gaze immediately locked onto Ann. Those golden brown eyes met Ann's black ones, filled with hatred. He walked closer, stopping at the foot of the bed, observing Ann, who trembled like a small animal cornered.

"Awake? You seem to have enjoyed my gift earlier." His tone was mocking, like a sharp thorn that slowly pricked.

Ann stared at him coldly, though her body wanted to shrink in the presence of this man. She would not show weakness again. "Who is Sherry?" she asked, her voice flat but deep.

Jake smirked slightly, a smile that radiated subtle menace, like a tiger ready to pounce at any moment. He stepped closer, his index finger extended, lifting Ann's chin gently but firmly. "You don't know, or are you just pretending not to?"

Ann quickly swatted his hand away, her gaze turning sharp. She took a step back, keeping her distance from the man who had taken everything from her. Hatred burned in her eyes. "Did you do all this for her?"

Ann's gaze was like a needle, full of hatred so thick it could pierce the heart. Jake held back his smile, though something churned inside him. He hated it-her gaze. For an entire year, Ann had never shown any expression to him. No fear, no submission. Just hatred.

And for some reason, that made Jake want to break her even more.

"You don't know anything," he said sharply. The cigar in his hand slowly lifted, thin smoke rising into the air. "Your existence is a joke compared to hers. She's a rare rose, while you... are just a dandelion. No one cares if a dandelion is crushed underfoot."

Dandelion. Yes, if she truly were a dandelion, she would fly high into the sky before eventually dying. There would be no need to return to this place. No need to survive in the invisible prison Jake had built for her.

But a year had passed, and she was still here. Not free. Unable to fight back. Her desire to escape began to turn into fear. Fear of Jake's power, the man who could easily erase her from the world. No one would care. She was just a 24-year-old woman, alone, with no friends, no neighbors. If she disappeared, people might just think she moved to another city.

Ann stared blankly out the window, her gaze distant, lost in the twinkling stars in the sky that seemed so far and unreachable. Freedom out there seemed to call her, but her steps felt paralyzed.

Jake watched her from a distance. Her face, with its empty expression, seemed to provoke him. Ignore him.

He slipped the cigar into his mouth, inhaled slowly, then exhaled the smoke into the air like a king on his throne. "Don't ever try to escape," his voice was low, almost a deadly whisper. "I'll break your legs if I catch you."

Ann didn't react. She didn't turn. She remained silent, still staring at the stars. But in her heart, she felt the threat like a knife hanging over her neck-swinging, ready to strike at any moment.

"Why?" Finally, Ann spoke, her voice flat but heavy, like someone too tired to argue. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Jake smirked slightly, brushing off the almost finished cigar ash. He looked at Ann, still refusing to look at him, only staring at the sky, so distant and free. His laugh suddenly filled the room, shattering the silence of the room decorated in fiery red.

"Why?" Jake repeated the question, as if contemplating his answer. He tilted his head, his face full of satisfaction, then shrugged as if the answer was too simple to think about.

"Just because it's fun."

Slap!

The sharp slap echoed in the room. Ann's face reddened, a red line crossing her pale cheek, while her eyes blazed with anger. Her right palm trembled, the slap coming from the last strength in her weak body.

"I don't know what your connection to Sherry is," Ann hissed, her voice trembling but full of desperate courage. "If you two are a couple, then you fit perfectly. Both disgusting!"

Without waiting for a reaction, Ann turned and hurried toward the bathroom, her body shaking with emotion. But her steps were stopped. A large hand pulled her so hard that her body was slammed back onto the cold and rough bed.

The air seemed to freeze.

Ann froze for a moment, realizing her exposed body was now under Jake's brown eyes. Her instincts took over-she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to cover herself as best she could.

"Don't look at me, you bastard!" she shouted sharply.

Her gaze burned, full of hatred that overflowed. She wanted to kill this man, drag him to a hell more painful than anything she had ever experienced. If she could turn back time, she would ensure Jake suffered endlessly.

Ann stood up, trying to escape again, but her steps were halted by a hard slap from Jake's hand. Her head slammed into the sharp corner of the bed. A loud thud followed by warm blood dripping from her forehead. Ann bit her lip, trying to hold back the pain that hit her head like a crashing wave. Tears fell uncontrollably, without invitation.

"You're getting bolder, provoking me," Jake murmured, his voice low and dangerous.

He crouched down, roughly pulling Ann's hair, forcing her face up, making her tear-filled eyes meet his.

Ann didn't answer. The pain on her scalp mixed with the raging anger in her chest.

Jake stared at her for a long time, his eyes full of something difficult to explain-anger. But most of all, there was a cold determination, like someone ready to destroy.

Ann didn't have time to process her thoughts. She fought back. With all the strength she had left, she bit Jake's hand as hard as she could. Her teeth dug in, shaking him hard until he growled.

Jake was surprised. Reflexively, he released his grip and slammed Ann's body back onto the bed. This time, it was harder.

Ann was stunned. Her body locked under Jake's power. Her arms were pulled behind her, while her legs were pressed down with no room to move. She screamed, cursing, struggling.

"Mr. Thorpe! Let me go!"

But the sound of a zipper so close by made Ann freeze. Her breath caught in her throat. No, she thought. This can't be happening. She had always believed Jake wasn't interested in touching her, that he only wanted to control her psychologically. But now, that threat felt real, as cold as that night.

"No!" Ann screamed, desperate. She writhed with all her strength, screaming until her throat felt like it was on fire.

The sharp pain suddenly attacked her body, like a knife plunged into the deepest part of her. Her scream turned into a pitiful cry. Her body trembled violently, while the pain relentlessly tore at her without mercy.

She tried to move her legs and crawl forward, but the next moment, the sound of a bone breaking made it hard for her to breathe. She couldn't feel her left leg, and at that moment,

she no longer felt pain in her body. The blood dripping from her forehead continued to flow, making it impossible for her to see anything.

When her body was turned, she faintly saw Jake's disgusting grin. Her small hand reached for his face and slapped him hard.

"Arghhh!" The next moment, the hand she had used to slap Jake's handsome face bent and became immobile.

"Be quiet and enjoy, before I break all your bones!"

Her head felt heavy, spinning aimlessly like a small boat hit by a massive storm. Her vision blurred, her body no longer feeling the pain clearly-everything slowly turned into emptiness. Each breath she took felt heavy, like an invisible weight pressing on her chest.

She heard Jake's voice, faint, like an echo bouncing off the walls of the room. But his words no longer meant anything to Ann. The sounds grew fainter, quieter, until they finally disappeared completely.

The dizziness that gripped her head turned into a silence that gently embraced her. Cold spread throughout her body, but strangely, she felt at peace. No more resistance. No more tears.

"Finally..."

That word whispered inside her heart, like a prayer she had kept hidden for so long. Ann knew, finally, she was free. No more Jake, no more that red bed, no more nights that felt like an endless prison.

In her mind, the image of her grandmother appeared. The old, loving face smiled softly at her, her wrinkled hands wide open, as if ready to welcome Ann back into her embrace.

The final tear fell down Ann's cheek, but this time it wasn't because of the pain. It was a tear of goodbye-goodbye to a world that had never given her happiness, goodbye to the suffering that had strangled her for so long.

But just as she was about to embrace her grandmother, a large, familiar hand pushed her, sending her falling into a place full of light without a bottom.

"Dad... Why?"